Cock or faucet.



H. MUELLER.

COCK 0R FAUGET.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNI: 9, 1909.

Patented Jan. 31, 1911.

nA/eniof Hermf Musil er' Winesses,

by film/MU urn eq Cil HENRY MUELLER, OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TOTHE H. MUELLER MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS, .ACORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

ceci: oa Fencer.

esaeei.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 31, 1911.

Application filed June 9, 1909. Serial No. 501,035.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY MUELLER, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Decatur, Macon county, State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Cocks vor Faucets; and mypreferred manner of carrying out the invention is set forth in thefollowing full, clear, and exact description, terminating with claimsparticularly specifying` the novelty.

This invention relates to water distribution and particularly to cocksand faucets used in closing olf streams of water under pressure and hasfor its object to provide new and improved means for eliminating what iscommonly known in the artas water-hannner.

In the distribution of water throughout buildings and dwellings wherethe same is supplied under pressure, there is a constant tendency to theproduction of this noise termed water-hammer when the alves controllingthe streams are suddenly closed, such water-hammer l or hammering, beingmuch like a stroke on the pipe. lVaterhammer exists at any point wherethere is pressure but. it is more likely to occur where the *alve isshut otl" quickly, thus suddenly stopping the flow of water through thepipe. The conditions for the production of waterhammer are best wherethe water is under a high pressure and the greater the pressure the morelikely watenhammer will be produced at the time the valve is closed.

In view of the efforts that have been made by other inventorsheretofore, I will state that I am thoroughly acquainted with thc priorart and particularly with the devicesI that have been brought before thepublic to prevent the annoyance of water-haminer, and while I am not thefirst to make an effort in this direction, still I am confident that thedevice herein referred to is a departure from the path which is laiddown by former inventors and I know that the construction hereindisclosed will eliminate waterhammer.

On account of the peculiar operation of Fuller work and the greaterprobability therein for water-hammer because of the varying manipulationof the same by the operator, I show my device applied to the Fullerconstruction; however experiment has shown that it can be equally aswell applied to different types and designs of liquid shut-offs withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention. It is my purpose to partiallyclose olf the water before the main valve is seated, and to accomplishthis, I provide an improved preliminary valve in advance of the mainvalve and on the mean diameter thereof, further provision is made topartially close ofl1 the flow of water before the main valve is seatedsubstantially as shown and described and more particularly set out inthe appended claims and illustrated in the drawings forming a part ofthis specification. l

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal seetional'view through avalve embodying my invention showing the valve closed; F ig. 2 is alongitudinal view of the stem removed and exaggerated with a portion insection; Fig. 3 is an end view of the stem with the main valve removedlooking toward the preliminary valve; F ig. L1 is a detail being alongitudinal sectional view of Fig. 1 showing the valve open and theforward portion broken away.

Referring particularly to the drawings in which like numerals indicatecorresponding parts, numeral 10 reljnfesents the body of a valve of theFuller design having an outlet 11, an eccentric stem 12 passing throughthe housing 13 and provided at the upper eX- tremity of the stem with ahandle 14; the body is eXteriorly threaded at 15 for the reception ofinterior threads 16 of a tail piece 17, said body 10 and the said tailpiece 17 when properly jointed by the said threads 15 and 1G forming ajoint between the said connecting parts as at 18. On the inlet end 2()of the body 10 is formed a main valve seat 20L and. in said body andadjacent to said seat is a water passage 19. The valve stem 21 bearing amain valve 22 at one eX- tremity is provided at the opposite end with anaperture 23 to 4receive the crank end 24; of the eccentric stem 12, andby means of this connection with the crank end 211 the said valve stem21 is operated approximately longitudinally to the interior of the body10 and the tail piece 17 the parts so far referred to are of ordinaryconstruction. The main valve 22 is adapted to seat against the seat 2()dand thereby shut olf any iiow of liquid therethrough. lVhen the handle14 is operated to open the valve, the stem 21 moves toward the inletopening 32 and the valve is removed from the seat 2Oa allowing passageof water and the opening and the closing is in each succeeding case thesame or similar.

Ahead of the main valve and integral with the stem 2l I provide apreliminary valve 25 having a flat bearing surface Q6 which tits orabuts against the inner end of the main valve 22 and adjacent to saidface, and from its entire perimeter I provide a beveled surface 27 whichextends from said face 2G to the bearing surface 2S of the preliminaryvalve :25 which contacts entirely with the inner wall of the waterpassage 19 as the said preliminary valve enters the same. The saidcontacting surface is referred to here as an entirety but is composed ofan annular series of individual portions as 33, there being between saidportions an annular series of grooves or valleys 31; the said portions33 and the valleys 3l may vary in number and not alter the spirit of theinvention, and they are mounted on and in the exterior diameter of thesaid preliminary7 valve 25 and when the said portions 33 are combined toform the bearing surface 28; they compose the greatest exterior diameterof said preliminary valve 25 and on account of the peculiar constructionof this preliminary valve, it aids materially in the prevention ofwater-hammer.

In view of the peculiar closing of Fuller work, that is, the angularseating of the valve caused by the action of the eccentric l2 asimparted to the stem 2l, and the fact that the bearing surface 2S of thepreliminary valve J5 must fit the water passag'e 1S) closely, in orderto accomplish my object at one side of the bearing surface 2S is a bevel27 arranged in such a manner as to provide anincline in a reversedirection to the incline of the customary seat of the main valve 22, andon the opposite side of the bearing surface Q8, I provide a long beveledsurface 3() beginning at the outer rim of the square portions 33 andextended at a somewhat lengthy bevel to the point 29 where itapproximately merges into the stem; and this said bevel 30 extendsaround the entire perimeter of the preliminary valve Q5. In view of itsweight the main valve has an inclination to force itself toward thebottom or lower side of the tail piece 17 when the' valve is opened, andau inclination to so remain; in closing this would cause the preliminaryvalve 25 to enter the channel 19 at an angle; the beveled surface 30,however, touches against the seat 20 as the main valve 22 is closed andon account of this peculiar form as at 30, O'radually raises thepreliminary valve 25 so that when the preliminary valve 25 enters thepassage 19, it has been raised to such a degree that the surface 2S willcontact with the walls and fit closely the water passage 19, or in otherwords, en-

ters in a straight line thus making the partial closing oftl of the liowof water equal around the entire water passage 19.

Between the mean diameter 28 of the preliminary valve Q5 and a point 22aof the main valve 22, is formed a circumferential valley or groove LIO,one wall of which is the bevel 2T of the preliminary valve which enterst-he inlet opening of the cock and doesl not Contact with the seat; thepurpose of this groove 40 will hereinafter be more fully explained.

Upon the close litting perimeter 2S of the preliminary valve 25, Iprovide a plurality of valleys or grooves 3l which may be of any desiredshape, but by preference are here shown as V-shaped and of a depth notto prevent a diameter taken at the lowest point thereof being less thanthe smallest diameter of the face plate 26, although a variance of thispoint might not materially aect the working of the valve; portions ofthe surfaces remaining which are in the form of individual faces as 33Contact with the interior wall of the channel 19 of the body as forming2S. In view of the shape of said valleys 31 the device is thought to bequite sanitary as dirt or sediment cannot be re,- tained any length oftime therein on account of the pressure contact with these parts in theopening and closing of the valve, or in other words the movement of thevalve would create a constant churning motion within the cock body andthus make it impossible for any sediment to lodge in the valleys 3l. Inorder to accommodate the escape of such sediment, I provide between thepreliminary valve and the main valve, the valley et() which permits thesediment to be moved backward or retained by the pressure of the liquid,or other actions of closing, and lodge therein until such time as thepressure is sufficient to remove it entirely, thus preventing suchsediment from lodging between the main valve and the seat and preventthe entire closing of the valve. In the present use of Fuller work inwhich is embodied a preliminary valve, the iiat closing of the ball ormain valve against t-he seat does not allow for the escapement of anysediment or other solid matter in the water, and when caught between theseat and the main valve the solid matter or sediment will prevent thevalve from seating and causes leakage, and when being drawn tightly toprevent leakage, is embedded in the valve, thus often rendering thevalve useless and contributing rapidly to the decay and wear of thevalve. This provision for the escape of the sediment which may be in theform of grit or sand is valuable to the eificiency of the valve, and tomy knowledge an improvement which has never been adopted in thisdirection.

In operation, with particular reference to Fig. 1, the manually operatedhandle 14 is turned to a position opposite to the one it occupies in thefigure, and in such action longitudinal movement is applied to the stem21 bearing the main valve 22 and the preliminary valve 25, whichmovement takes the parts out of Contact with the main seat Q0a andremoves the preliminary valve from the passage 19 through the body inletsuiciently to allow a full flow of water to pass around the same throughthe inlet and out through the outlet opening 11 of the cock and in thisopen state the parts assume the position as shown in Fig. 4. In closing,manual movement brings the handle 14 gradually around to the positionoccupied in Fig. 1 and in so doing the valve stem as above set forth isdrawn longitudinally toward the seat, the preliminary valve 25 enteringthe passageway 19 and the outer circumference of the preliminary valve25 as 2S contacting with the wall of said passage 19 forcing a partialclosure of the same and allowing leakage through the valleys 31 therein,as the valve resumes its seat, causing a complete shut-off such closureis retarded to a more or less extent in view of the close fitting of theouter rim 9S formed by individual faces 33 of the preliminary valve E25and by the leakage through the ports or valleys 31 thus preventing asudden, complete shut-olf of the volume of water passing therethroughand eliminating the objectionable hammering in the pipe or pipesadjacent the valve.

lVhat I claim as new is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a valve element adapted to partiallyclose a lwater passage, the perimeter of said valve element having anannular series of individual faces separated by ports or passages, and

divided into a multiplicity of beveled surfaces on either side of saidindividual faces, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a valve structure, a main valve, a preliminary valve adapted t0close a Water passage in advance of the main valve, the greatestdiameter of said preliminary valve slidably fitting said water passageand being individual faces separated by ports, and beveled faces ofvarying lengths on either side of said individual faces.

3. In a valve structure, a main valve, a preliminary valve in advancethereof and adapted to slidably fit a water passage in the valvestructure, said preliminary valve having' its greatest diameter dividedinto a multiplicity of individual faces separated by ports, a beveledface extending from the perimeter of the preliminary valve on one sideto a point coincident with the main valve, and a relatively long bevelon the op posite side of the preliminary valve.

l. In a valve structure, a main valve, a preliminary valve in advancethereof and adapted to slidably lit a water passage, said preliminaryvalve having its greatest diameter divided into a multiplicity ofindividual faces, and a beveled face on one side of the preliminaryvalve extending from the perimeter thereof to a point coincident withthe main valve to provide an annular valley be tween the main andpreliminary valves, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my signature, this 10thday of May, A. D. 1909.

HENRY MUELLER.

I/Vitnesses VIRGINIA HAMILTON, JOHN L. VVADDELL.

